Q.Attempt any one from (A) and (B) given below: (A) A sea storm is expected to hit the states on the East Coast of the country within 72 hours. As Rohit/Reema, Director General, Coast Guard, Odisha, write a notice in 50 words to warn fishermen, tourists and general public to take all safety precautions and not venture into the sea. Mention relevant details.

Showing the 12 most recent of 18 on this concept.

1. CBSE 2026Set 1/1/11 markMCQ
   Q.What emotion does the speaker reveal in the opening lines of the extract? (A) curiosity (B) bitterness (C) indifference (D) detachment (A Roadside Stand)

   ›Reveal solutionSolution

   The opening lines of A Roadside Stand reveal the speaker's bitterness — a sorrowful anger at the way the wealthy, speeding city world ignores the poor who put up the stand. The answer is (B).

   Frost begins with the image of a small, poor roadside stand set up in the hope that passing cars will stop and buy something. The way he describes it — the little old house, the shed, the almost pitiful pleading of the stall — is charged with feeling. The speaker is clearly not a detached onlooker.

   Weighing the options:

   • (A) curiosity suggests a neutral, questioning attitude, but the speaker is not merely wondering about the scene; he is troubled by it.
   • (C) indifference is the opposite of what he feels; he is deeply affected.
   • (D) detachment would mean he stands apart, unmoved, which the emotional language contradicts.
   • (B) bitterness fits: beneath the pity there is a resentful anger at a society that lets its poor plead by the roadside and hurries past without care.

   ✓Final answer

   The speaker reveals (B) bitterness — a sorrowful, resentful anger at the neglect of the rural poor by the indifferent, prosperous world speeding past.

2. CBSE 2026Set 1/1/11 mark
   Q.What does the speaker imply when he says that the hurt to the scenery would not be his complaint? (A Roadside Stand)

   ›Reveal solutionSolution

   The speaker implies that his primary concern is not the aesthetic disruption caused by the roadside stand, but rather the profound economic hardship and unfulfilled hopes of its owners.

   Robert Frost's "A Roadside Stand" is a poignant exploration of the stark contrast between the lives of city dwellers and the impoverished rural folk. The poem sets the scene with a small, crudely built stand by the side of a country road, an earnest attempt by its owners to attract the attention of passing city cars and sell their humble goods. These city folk, often speeding by in their expensive vehicles, represent a world of prosperity and opportunity that remains largely inaccessible to the villagers.

   When the speaker says that "the hurt to the scenery would not be his complaint," he is drawing a crucial distinction between superficial concerns and deeper human suffering. Many urbanites, accustomed to picturesque landscapes and often detached from the realities of rural poverty, might indeed perceive such a stand as an eyesore, a blemish on the natural beauty of the countryside. Their complaint, if they had one, would likely stem from an aesthetic perspective, a perceived degradation of the environment.

   However, the speaker's perspective is far more empathetic and profound. He understands that the stand, despite its humble appearance, represents the desperate efforts of its owners to earn a livelihood. His concern is not with the visual impact on the landscape, but with the human cost involved. He sees beyond the physical structure to the "childish longing in vain" – the earnest hope of the villagers for a small share of the prosperity that passes them by, a hope that is consistently ignored.

   His true complaint, therefore, lies in:

   • The economic disparity: The vast gap between the wealth of the city and the poverty of the countryside, where basic necessities are a struggle.
   • The unfulfilled hopes: The villagers' yearning for a better life, for some financial relief, for a chance to participate in the economic mainstream, which remains largely out of reach.
   • The urban indifference: The lack of empathy, understanding, and genuine connection from those who could easily offer a little help, but choose instead to speed past, often with disdain or disinterest.
   • The implied exploitation: The speaker also touches upon the "good-doers" who promise to relocate them and improve their lives, but often with ulterior motives, ultimately stripping them of their agency and peace.

   Important

   The speaker's statement highlights his deep empathy for the rural poor, contrasting his humanitarian concern with the often superficial aesthetic concerns of the urban elite.

   The speaker implies that to complain about the "hurt to the scenery" would be to entirely miss the point of the roadside stand's existence. It would be to prioritize a fleeting visual preference over the fundamental human need for sustenance, dignity, and a chance at a better life. His focus is squarely on the emotional and economic plight of the people, not on the minor alteration of a view.

   ✓Final answer

   The speaker implies that his concern is not with the aesthetic disruption or "hurt to the scenery" caused by the roadside stand, but rather with the profound economic hardship, unfulfilled hopes, and urban indifference faced by the rural poor who operate it.

3. CBSE 2025Set 1/4/11 markMCQ
   Q.Which of the following does the imagery in the given extract NOT represent? (A) energy (B) liveliness (C) shade (D) vitality (My Mother at Sixty-six)

   ›Reveal solutionSolution

   The imagery of "trees sprinting" and "merry children" in "My Mother at Sixty-six" primarily represents youth, energy, and vitality, contrasting with the mother's aging. It does NOT represent shade.

   The poem "My Mother at Sixty-six" by Kamala Das uses vivid imagery to convey the poet's feelings about her aging mother. A key technique employed is the use of contrasting images. While the mother is depicted as frail and pale, the world outside the car window is shown as vibrant and full of life. The question asks what this contrasting imagery does NOT represent.

   The intuition here is to understand the purpose of these specific images. The poet deliberately chooses "trees sprinting" and "merry children spilling out of their homes" to highlight a stark difference. These images are not just descriptive; they are symbolic. They represent everything the aging mother is losing or has lost: youth, vigor, and unbridled life.

   1. Identify the relevant imagery: The question refers to the imagery used in the poem, specifically the contrasting images seen outside the car window. These are "trees sprinting" and "merry children spilling out of their homes."

   2. Analyze the connotations of the imagery:

      • "Trees sprinting": Trees are typically static, but here they are personified as "sprinting," implying rapid movement, speed, and a dynamic quality. This suggests energy and life.
      • "Merry children spilling out of their homes": Children are inherently associated with youth, joy, and boundless energy. "Merry" emphasizes happiness and cheerfulness, while "spilling out" suggests an overflowing, uncontrolled burst of activity and life.

   3. Evaluate option (A) energy: Both "sprinting" trees and "merry children spilling" strongly convey a sense of energy. Sprinting is an energetic action, and children at play are full of energy. Therefore, the imagery does represent energy.

   4. Evaluate option (B) liveliness: "Merry children" directly implies liveliness and cheerfulness. The dynamic action of "sprinting" trees also contributes to a sense of being alive and active. Therefore, the imagery does represent liveliness.

   5. Evaluate option (D) vitality: Vitality is the state of being strong and active; it's the power of giving continuance to life. The youthful vigor of the children and the dynamic movement of the trees are perfect representations of vitality. It encompasses both energy and liveliness. Therefore, the imagery does represent vitality.

   6. Evaluate option (C) shade: Shade refers to an area of darkness or coolness produced by an object blocking light. The imagery of "sprinting" trees and "merry children" is associated with movement, light, activity, and vibrant life. There is no element in these descriptions that suggests coolness, darkness, protection from the sun, or any other characteristic of shade. In fact, the imagery evokes brightness and open activity, which are quite contrary to the concept of shade.

   Watch out

   It's crucial to interpret the symbolic meaning of the imagery within the poem's context. While trees provide shade, the poet's description of them as "sprinting" focuses on their movement and energy, not their function as shade-givers. The question asks what the imagery represents, not what the object itself (a tree) can do.

   ✓Final answer

   The imagery in the given extract does NOT represent (C) shade.

4. CBSE 2025Set 1/4/11 markMCQ
   Q.Select the correct option from those given in the brackets to fill in the blank. The given phrase illustrates the poet's _____________. (irony/imagery) (My Mother at Sixty-six)

   ›Reveal solutionSolution

   The phrase from My Mother at Sixty-six uses vivid sensory description to paint a picture of the ageing mother, making this a case of imagery.

   When we talk about literary devices, the distinction between irony and imagery comes down to purpose and technique. Imagery appeals to the senses—sight, sound, touch, taste, smell—to create a mental picture or evoke a feeling. Irony, on the other hand, involves a contrast between expectation and reality, or between what is said and what is meant.

   Kamala Das's poem My Mother at Sixty-six is built almost entirely on visual observation. The poet looks at her mother and records what she sees with striking clarity.

   Let me walk through the key moments:

   1. The opening description: The poet describes her mother's face as "ashen like that of a corpse"—a simile that creates a powerful visual image of pallor and lifelessness. This is pure imagery: we see the grey, drained colour.

   2. The comparison to late winter's moon: The mother's face is compared to "late winter's moon"—pale, wan, lacking warmth. Again, this is a visual metaphor that helps us picture the mother's appearance and, by extension, her frailty.

   3. The contrast with the world outside: The poet looks out at "young trees sprinting" and "merry children spilling out of their homes." These images of vitality and movement stand in sharp contrast to the stillness and decay she sees in her mother. The technique here is still imagery—creating pictures that work through juxtaposition.

   4. The final smile: The poet's "smile, smile and smile" is described as an action, but the repetition itself creates an image of forced cheerfulness, a mask worn to hide pain.

   Note

   While there is an underlying ironic situation—the poet must smile when she feels like crying, and the vibrant world outside contrasts with her mother's decline—the dominant technique the poet uses to convey this situation is sensory description, not ironic statement.

   The question asks what the phrase illustrates, meaning what literary device the poet employs or demonstrates. Throughout the poem, Kamala Das paints pictures. She shows us her mother's face, the passing landscape, the children at play. She doesn't make ironic remarks or twist meanings; she describes what she sees and lets those images carry the emotional weight.

   ✓Final answer

   The correct option is imagery.

5. CBSE 2025Set 1/4/11 markMCQ
   Q.Choose the correct option: The poet is unable to bear the sight of her ageing mother, because ______________. (A) her mother had refused to accompany her (B) she is upset with her mother dozing off (C) it upsets her to see the ageing face of her mother (D) she is in a hurry to reach the airport (My Mother at Sixty-six)

   ›Reveal solutionSolution

   In Kamala Das's My Mother at Sixty-six, the poet's pain comes from seeing her mother's "ashen", corpse-like face — the visible signs of ageing that force her to confront her mother's mortality. The correct option is (C).

   The moment in the poem

   Driving from her parents' home to the Cochin airport, the poet glances at her mother dozing beside her, "open mouthed, her face ashen like that of a corpse". The comparison to a corpse and, later, to "a late winter's moon" — pale, waning, near its end — makes the mother's frailty impossible to ignore. What wells up in the poet is her "old familiar ache", the childhood fear of losing her mother. That is why the sight is unbearable: it is grief and dread at ageing, not any surface irritation.

   Why the other options fail

   • (A) her mother had refused to accompany her — No refusal occurs anywhere in the poem; the mother is right there in the car, travelling with her to the airport.
   • (B) she is upset with her mother dozing off — The dozing is only the trigger, not the grievance. The poet is not annoyed at the sleeping; she is pained by what the sleeping face reveals — pallor, age, the nearness of death.
   • (D) she is in a hurry to reach the airport — The poem never mentions time pressure; its entire focus is the poet's inner turmoil, which she hides behind a smile of "see you soon, Amma".

   The clinching evidence

   The chain of images — "ashen like that of a corpse", "wan, pale as a late winter's moon", the "old familiar ache, my childhood's fear" — all points one way: what upsets the poet is the ageing face itself and the mortality it signals.

   ✓Final answer

   (C) it upsets her to see the ageing face of her mother. Her mother's "ashen", corpse-like face awakens the poet's old childhood fear of losing her — the sight of ageing, not refusal, annoyance, or hurry, is what she cannot bear.

6. CBSE 2025Set 1/4/11 markMCQ
   Q.Read the assertion and the reason below, with reference to the given extract. Assertion: The mother was accompanying her daughter to the airport. Reason: The daughter was leaving her mother behind and flying off. Choose the correct option regarding their relationship: (A) Both the assertion and the reason are true and the reason is the correct explanation of the assertion. (B) Both the assertion and the reason are true, but the reason is not the correct explanation of the assertion. (C) The assertion is true, but the reason is false. (D) The assertion is false, but the reason is true. (My Mother at Sixty-six)

   ›Reveal solutionSolution

   Both the assertion and the reason are true, and the reason correctly explains why the mother was accompanying her daughter to the airport. The correct option is (A).

   Assertion-Reason questions test your understanding of two statements individually and then the logical connection between them. You must first determine if each statement is true or false based on the given context (here, the poem "My Mother at Sixty-six"). After that, if both are true, you assess if the Reason provides a correct explanation for the Assertion.

   The poem "My Mother at Sixty-six" by Kamala Das explores the poet's feelings of aging and loss as she drives her elderly mother to the airport. The central theme revolves around the daughter's fear of separation and her mother's impending death.

   1. Analyze the Assertion:

      The Assertion states: "The mother was accompanying her daughter to the airport."

      From the poem, the opening lines clearly state, "I drove from my parent's home to Cochin last Friday morning, my mother beside me..." and later, "after the airport's security check, standing a few yards away, I looked again at her..." These lines confirm that the daughter was driving her mother to the airport, meaning the mother was indeed accompanying her daughter there.

      Therefore, the Assertion is True.

   2. Analyze the Reason:

      The Reason states: "The daughter was leaving her mother behind and flying off."

      The poem describes the daughter driving to Cochin airport, which is a major international airport. The act of going to an airport, passing through security, and then saying goodbye ("all I said was, see you soon, Amma, all I did was smile and smile and smile...") strongly implies that the daughter was flying away, leaving her mother behind at the airport or at home. The entire emotional core of the poem stems from this impending separation.

      Therefore, the Reason is True.

   3. Evaluate the relationship between Assertion and Reason:

      Now that both the Assertion and the Reason are established as true, we need to determine if the Reason provides a correct explanation for the Assertion.

      The mother was accompanying her daughter to the airport because the daughter was leaving her behind and flying off. The mother's presence at the airport is a direct consequence of the daughter's departure. She was there to see her daughter off. The Reason directly explains the purpose of the mother's accompaniment.

      Therefore, the Reason is the correct explanation of the Assertion.

   ✓Final answer

   Both the assertion and the reason are true and the reason is the correct explanation of the assertion. The correct option is (A).

7. CBSE 2024Set 1/3/11 markMCQ
   Q.The poet realised that the mother is: (A) frustrated (B) depressed (C) dead (D) weak (My Mother at Sixty-six)

   ›Reveal solutionSolution

   The poet realises that her mother is growing old and nearing death, not merely frustrated, depressed, or weak. The correct answer is (C) dead — a metaphorical realisation of mortality.

   The poem “My Mother at Sixty-six” by Kamala Das captures a moment of painful awareness. The poet is driving to the airport with her ageing mother, and in that brief, quiet observation, she sees the unmistakable signs of decay. The mother’s face is “ashen like that of a corpse,” her breathing is “pale,” and she looks “wan” — all words that point not to an emotional state but to physical decline and the proximity of death.

   The key line is: “her face ashen like that of a corpse.” That simile is deliberate and stark. The poet isn’t saying her mother is frustrated or depressed; she is saying that in that moment, the mother’s appearance reminds her of death itself. The realisation is not about mood — it is about mortality.

   Let’s walk through the options:

   1. Frustrated — The mother shows no sign of irritation or anger. She is simply sitting, looking old and frail. Frustration is an active emotion; the poem describes passive, quiet decay.

   2. Depressed — While the mother may feel sad, the poet’s realisation is not about her mother’s mental state. The poem focuses on physical ageing and the fear of loss. Depression is a psychological condition; the poet’s fear is existential.

   3. Dead — This is the correct interpretation. The poet realises that her mother is as good as dead — not literally dead at that moment, but that death is imminent. The word “corpse” makes this explicit. The realisation is that the mother is no longer the vibrant person she once was; she is fading, and the poet must accept her mortality.

   4. Weak — The mother is indeed weak, but that is a symptom, not the core realisation. The poet’s deeper understanding is about death, not just physical frailty. Weakness is a surface observation; the realisation of mortality is the poem’s emotional centre.

   Watch out

   A common mistake is to choose “weak” because the mother looks frail. But the poem’s language — “corpse,” “pale,” “wan” — goes beyond weakness to suggest death itself. The poet’s fear is not that her mother is weak, but that she will lose her.

   Tip

   In exam questions about poetry, always look for the strongest, most specific word or image. Here, “corpse” is the clue. It overrides all other, milder interpretations.

   ✓Final answer

   The poet realises that the mother is (C) dead — a metaphorical recognition of her mortality, not a literal statement of her emotional state.

8. CBSE 2024Set 1/3/11 markMCQ
   Q.Which of the following themes is best represented in the given extract? (A) Life is short and one must enjoy it (B) Ageing and Mortality (C) Sleeping and Playing (D) Art of Parenting (My Mother at Sixty-six)

   ›Reveal solutionSolution

   The poem "My Mother at Sixty-six" primarily explores the inevitable process of ageing and the associated fear of mortality, making (B) Ageing and Mortality the best-represented theme.

   Concept and Intuition

   In literature, a theme is the central idea or underlying message that an author explores in their work. It's not just the subject matter, but the deeper insight or universal truth about that subject. To identify the best-represented theme, we need to look beyond the surface events and consider:

   1. What is the author trying to communicate?
   2. What universal human experience or idea is being examined?
   3. How do the characters, imagery, and plot contribute to this message?

   For a poem like "My Mother at Sixty-six," the intuition is to pay close attention to the poet's observations, emotions, and the contrasts presented. The poem describes a specific moment, but its power lies in evoking a universal feeling about time, family, and loss. We must discern the dominant message, as poems often touch upon multiple ideas, but one usually stands out as the core theme.

   Step-by-Step Analysis

   1. Understand the Poem's Core Narrative: The poem describes the poet, Kamala Das, driving from her parents' home to the airport. Her mother, sitting beside her, is sixty-six years old. The poet observes her mother's appearance closely.

   2. Analyze Key Imagery and Observations:

      • "doze, open-mouthed, her face ashen like that of a corpse": This vivid imagery immediately brings forth the idea of physical decline, weakness, and a resemblance to death. The mother's age is explicitly stated as sixty-six, reinforcing the context of old age.
      • "pain," "old familiar ache," "fear": These words directly convey the poet's emotional response to her mother's appearance. The "old familiar ache" suggests a long-standing, deep-seated anxiety about her mother's health and eventual demise.
      • "young trees sprinting," "merry children spilling out of their homes": These are contrasting images. The vibrant, active youth and nature stand in stark opposition to the mother's frail, passive state. This contrast highlights the passage of time and the stark reality of ageing versus youth.
      • "wan, pale as a late winter's moon": This simile further emphasizes the mother's lack of vitality and fading life, much like the dim light of a winter moon.

   3. Connect Imagery and Emotions to Deeper Meanings:

      • The mother's physical state (dozing, ashen face, corpse-like) directly points to the effects of ageing and the proximity of mortality. The poet is confronted with the harsh reality of her mother's declining health and the inevitability of death.
      • The poet's "pain" and "fear" are rooted in the apprehension of losing her mother, a direct consequence of her mother's ageing and impending mortality.
      • The contrast with "young trees sprinting" and "merry children" serves to underscore the relentless march of time and the stark difference between the vigour of youth and the decay of old age, reinforcing the theme of ageing.

   4. Evaluate the Given Options:

      • (A) Life is short and one must enjoy it: While the poem implicitly acknowledges life's brevity through the mother's age, its focus is not on the enjoyment of life but on the pain and fear associated with its end. The tone is melancholic, not celebratory.
      • (B) Ageing and Mortality: This option perfectly encapsulates the central concerns of the poem. The mother's physical decline due to age and the poet's fear of her mother's death (mortality) are the dominant themes. Every key image and emotion points to this.
      • (C) Sleeping and Playing: These are merely surface-level actions or observations within the poem (the mother sleeping, children playing). They are elements used by the poet to convey a deeper message, but they are not the theme itself. The theme is what these actions represent.
      • (D) Art of Parenting: The poem is about the child's perspective on the parent's ageing and mortality, not about the techniques or challenges of raising children. The mother is a subject of observation, not an active parent in the context of the poem's narrative.

   5. Conclude the Best Fit: Based on the comprehensive analysis of the poem's imagery, emotions, and contrasts, the theme of ageing and mortality is overwhelmingly present and central to the poet's message.

   Watch out

   Do not confuse surface-level topics or specific events mentioned in the poem with its overarching theme. While the poem mentions sleeping and playing, these are details that contribute to the theme, not the theme itself. The theme is the deeper, universal message.

   Important

   The "old familiar ache" is crucial. It signifies the poet's long-standing, deep-seated fear of her mother's death, directly linking to the theme of mortality.

   ✓Final answer

   The theme best represented in the given extract is (B) Ageing and Mortality.

9. CBSE 2024Set 1/3/11 markMCQ
   Q.Pick the option that uses the word 'spilling' in the same sense as in the extract. (A) Rahul was responsible for spilling the beans by telling everyone the secret. (B) He opened the bag, spilling all its contents on the table. (C) Try to keep that crowd from spilling onto the main street. (D) The cat spilled all the milk. (My Mother at Sixty-six)

   ›Reveal solutionSolution

   In My Mother at Sixty-six, "spilling" pictures the merry children pouring out of their homes — people flowing from a contained space into the open. Only option (C), a crowd "spilling onto the main street", uses the word in that same sense. The correct option is (C).

   The word in the poem

   Kamala Das writes of "young trees sprinting, the merry children spilling / out of their homes". Here "spilling" is figurative: a mass of people streaming outward from an enclosed space into open space, in an eager, uncontained flow. The image is one of overflowing life and energy — deliberately contrasted with the ageing, corpse-pale mother inside the car.

   Matching each option

   • (A) "spilling the beans by telling everyone the secret" — An idiom meaning to reveal a secret. Nothing physically flows outward; the sense is entirely figurative in a different direction (disclosure), so it does not match.
   • (B) "opened the bag, spilling all its contents on the table" — Objects tumbling out accidentally onto a surface. Literal and accidental, involving things rather than people surging into open space.
   • (C) "keep that crowd from spilling onto the main street" — A mass of people overflowing from a contained area into a larger open one — precisely the poem's sense of children spilling out of their homes.
   • (D) "The cat spilled all the milk" — The plain literal sense: a liquid knocked over by accident. No people, no outward surge into open space.

   The test being applied

   Vocabulary-in-context questions ask you to match the kind of action: who or what moves (people vs. objects vs. liquids vs. information), and how (an energetic outward flow vs. an accident vs. an idiom). Only (C) matches the poem on both counts.

   ✓Final answer

   (C) "Try to keep that crowd from spilling onto the main street." Like the merry children spilling out of their homes, it describes people overflowing from a contained space into the open — not an idiom for secrets (A), objects dumped on a table (B), or an accident with milk (D).

10. CBSE 2024Set 1/3/11 markMCQ
    Q.The phrases 'Young Trees' and 'merry children' symbolise: (A) Youth (B) Old age (C) Disease (D) Travel (My Mother at Sixty-six)

    ›Reveal solutionSolution

    The phrases “Young Trees” and “merry children” in Kamala Das’s poem “My Mother at Sixty-six” symbolise youth — the vitality and life that stand in stark contrast to the speaker’s ageing mother. The correct option is (A) Youth.

    ---

    Concept and Intuition

    This question tests your ability to interpret symbolism in poetry — specifically, how a poet uses concrete images to represent abstract ideas. In “My Mother at Sixty-six,” Kamala Das contrasts two worlds: the frail, ageing mother beside her in the car, and the vibrant, growing world outside the window. The “Young Trees” and “merry children” are not just scenery; they are deliberate symbols of life, energy, and the passage of time that the speaker herself is moving away from as she confronts her mother’s mortality.

    The key insight is contrast. The poet places these images of youth right after describing her mother’s pale, ashen face. The trees “sprinting” and children “spilling out of their homes” represent everything the mother is losing — speed, growth, joy, and future. They are not literally about travel or disease; they are emotional markers of the speaker’s fear of separation and ageing.

    Watch out

    A common mistake is to take these phrases literally — “Young Trees” are just trees, “merry children” are just children. But in the poem’s context, they function as symbols, not descriptions of the actual landscape. The poet is not reporting a drive; she is expressing a feeling of loss.

    ---

    Step-by-Step Reasoning

    1. Locate the phrases in the poem’s emotional arc.

       The speaker is driving to the airport, glancing at her mother dozing beside her. She notices her mother’s face is “ashen like that of a corpse.” Immediately after, she looks out the window and sees “Young Trees sprinting” and “merry children spilling out of their homes.” The juxtaposition is deliberate — the mother is static, fading, and old; the trees and children are moving, bursting, and young.

    2. Identify what the images share.

       “Young Trees” are growing, reaching upward, full of sap and life. “Merry children” are active, laughing, and carefree. Both are associated with vigour, growth, and the future. They are the opposite of the mother’s stillness and decay.

    3. Connect to the poem’s central theme.

       The poem is about the speaker’s fear of losing her mother to old age. The symbols of youth outside the car window represent what the mother no longer has and what the speaker herself is still part of — but from which she feels painfully separated. The poet uses these images to heighten the emotional contrast and to underscore the inevitability of ageing.

    4. Eliminate the other options.

       • (B) Old age — This is the opposite of what the phrases describe. The mother symbolises old age; the trees and children symbolise youth.
       • (C) Disease — There is no reference to illness in these lines. The mother’s ageing is natural, not diseased.
       • (D) Travel — While the poem is set during a car journey, “Young Trees” and “merry children” are not symbols of travel itself. They are symbols of life that the speaker passes by.

    Tip

    A quick way to confirm: ask yourself, “What feeling do these words evoke?” “Young” and “merry” both suggest energy and happiness — qualities of youth. If the poet wanted to symbolise old age, she would have used words like “withered,” “slow,” or “silent.”

    ---

    ✓Final answer

    The correct option is (A) Youth.

11. CBSE 2023Set 1/1/11 markMCQ
    Q.The poem My Mother at Sixty-Six captures the __________ of the narrator. I. happiness II. fear III. dismay IV. anxiety Choose the most appropriate option:

    (a) Only I

    (b) I and IV

    (c) II and IV

    (d) Only III (My Mother at Sixty-Six)

    ›Reveal solutionSolution

    The poem captures the narrator’s fear and anxiety about her mother’s ageing and mortality.

    The poem My Mother at Sixty-Six by Kamala Das is a deeply personal and poignant reflection on the passage of time and the fragility of life. The narrator is driving her ageing mother to the airport, and during the journey, she glances at her mother dozing beside her. That single look triggers a rush of emotions — not happiness or dismay, but a quiet, aching fear and a low hum of anxiety.

    The mother’s face is described as “ashen like that of a corpse,” which immediately signals the narrator’s subconscious dread of losing her. The simile is stark and unsettling, and it reveals the narrator’s underlying fear of death and separation. This is not a moment of joy or even simple sadness; it is a moment of raw vulnerability. The narrator is afraid — afraid of the inevitable, afraid of the day her mother will no longer be there.

    At the same time, there is anxiety. The narrator tries to push away these thoughts, smiling and saying “See you soon, Amma,” but the effort itself betrays her unease. The anxiety is not loud or dramatic; it is the quiet, persistent worry that accompanies watching a loved one grow old. The poem ends with the image of “the ache” that remains with the narrator, confirming that this is not a fleeting fear but a deep, ongoing anxiety.

    Note

    The poem does not express dismay (a sense of shock or disappointment) because the narrator is not surprised by her mother’s ageing — she is simply pained by it. Nor does it express happiness, as the tone is somber and reflective throughout.

    Thus, the two emotions that the poem most clearly captures are fear and anxiety — the fear of loss and the anxiety of watching time take its toll.

    ✓Final answer

    The correct option is (c) II and IV — the poem captures the narrator’s fear and anxiety.

12. CBSE 2023Set 1/1/11 mark
    Q.Identify the phrase from the extract that suggests the following: She was overwhelmed with emotion and could not speak much. (My Mother at Sixty-Six)

    ›Reveal solutionSolution

    The phrase "and all I did was smile and smile and smile..." shows the poet so overwhelmed with emotion at parting that she can only smile, unable to speak much.

    In Kamala Das's "My Mother at Sixty-Six," the poet drives her elderly mother to the airport and, on the way, is struck by her mother's pale, ageing face. This stirs "that old familiar ache" — the childhood fear of losing her. At the moment of farewell, the poet is flooded with feeling, but she does not, and cannot, express it in words.

    The question asks for the phrase suggesting she was overwhelmed and could not speak much. The clearest such phrase is the poet's own reaction as she says goodbye: "all I said was, see you soon, Amma, / and all I did was smile and smile and smile..." The few, ordinary words of parting and the repeated, almost helpless smiling show a mind too full of emotion to say what it really feels.

    The repetition of "smile" is the crucial signal. A single smile might be simple politeness; a smile repeated three times is an effort — a way of holding back tears and fear, of reassuring both her mother and herself when speech would only break down. The smiling stands in for all the words she cannot bring herself to say.

    ✓Final answer

    The phrase is "and all I did was smile and smile and smile..." — the repeated smile reveals a poet so overcome by emotion that she can barely speak at the moment of parting.